Keep Dock access while another Mac display is full screen

Full screen changes the Space you are working in

A full-screen app is more than a large window. macOS places full-screen apps in the Spaces workflow, which you can inspect in Mission Control. Before troubleshooting a missing Dock, check whether you are looking at a desktop Space or a full-screen app.

For a presentation on one monitor and notes on the other, keep the notes screen in a normal desktop Space. The same arrangement works for a video on one screen and a browser or editor on the other. The useful app switcher belongs beside that desktop work.

Test the three display states

DualDock bases its visibility on the state of each display. Test these cases rather than assuming that a Dock which disappeared during a video has stopped running.

1. With neither display full screen, check normal Dock access and app order.
2. Make an app full screen on one display. DualDock should hide there and remain on the other.
3. Make an app full screen on the second display too. DualDock should hide on both.
4. Return one display to its desktop. Check that Dock access returns on that display.

Use the desktop screen for the rest of your workflow

You do not need to leave the full-screen app merely to open another tool on the available display. DualDock can launch apps, switch to running apps, and open Dock folders from there. Accessibility permission lets it read the state needed to mirror the system Dock.

If you expect a permanently visible Dock over the video itself, this behavior will not fit that expectation. DualDock is designed to leave full-screen content unobstructed. It requires macOS 14 or later and two displays, and costs $3.99 once for a license that activates two Macs.